Every shop I’ve ever had suffered from the same major problem. No matter how much shelf space I added to the “space”, everything always winds up on top of the work bench (and the saw and every other work surface in the place).

So, I beg you…tell me how to solve this!

For those few of you have solved it…was it a “thing” solution or just a “habit” solution?

35 replies so far

For me it’s a habit thing. When I first built my shop I was remodeling my home and I needed a specific tool for a job I was doing. After three hours of looking for said tool I stopped working on the house and told my wife I’m going to organize the shop….a place for everything and everything in its place. Now when I need something it’s exactly where it belongs…..unless someone else used it and didn’t put it back.

A habit solution here. I learned many years ago to just stop, once in a while, and put everything on my workbench away before going on to the next step in my project. I was spending more time looking for a tool than I spent using it. I also have most all my wall space used to accommodate shelves.

A habit solution here. I learned many years ago to just stop, once in a while, and put everything on my workbench away before going on to the next step in my project. I was spending more time looking for a tool than I spent using it. I also have most all my wall space used to accommodate shelves.

- Jim Finn

I do this exact thing. I’ve also found a bench against a wall is more likely to be used as a shelf. I don’t know why. Maybe I have mother issues or something. I envy a person that can use a tool and put it back. I try to do it, it just never works.

For me it is a habit thing as well. I am pretty middle of the road as far as how clean the shop is. I too try to stop once every 10 to 15 hours of shop time and clean up for an hour or so. It used to be bad, but it is getting better. It gets real dirty when I am in a hurry.

As far as horizontal surfaces go, I cannot wait to get more square footage so that I’ll have somewhere to put parts and pieces while I continue to work. I honestly think that an assembly table is going to be very important in my next shop design.

It is absolutely a “habit” solution. Only you can prevent a dirty shop

I sort of suspected that the successful respondents would all say it comes down to personal responsibility…to which I have but one answer:

We are doomed.

For me it is a habit thing as well. I am pretty middle of the road as far as how clean the shop is. I too try to stop once every 10 to 15 hours of shop time and clean up for an hour or so. It used to be bad, but it is getting better. It gets real dirty when I am in a hurry.

As far as horizontal surfaces go, I cannot wait to get more square footage so that I ll have somewhere to put parts and pieces while I continue to work. I honestly think that an assembly table is going to be very important in my next shop design.

It is absolutely a “habit” solution. Only you can prevent a dirty shop

I put away as I go. Every time I’m on one side of the shop and I’m going to the other I try to grab something to put away. Not only keeps the shop picked up but saves steps.Organizing is not hard, you just have to have a dedicated place to keep everything.

-- It's far better to be criticized by a wise person than applauded by a fool --

For me, it has been to find a way to organize my tools that fit my personality. I am not a neat freak, and I am not going to spend months building great quality cabinets for all my tools. I travel a lot, so I don’t want to spend all my shop time making things so I can make things.

My shop is a one-car garage with no inside finished walls. So I covered one side of it with OSB, and then I drill in screws to hang every tool I can. Use magnetic bars for others. And then use angled pocket screws to attach 2×4’s for all my clamps. I have an angled shelf unit made to fit my planes (OSB scraps, again). I have it to about 80% of the right organizational setup—I like the fact I can just remove a screw and re-install it in the place I like better. I put all my tools on the wall in convenient places in a few hours.

I agree with the bench location tip. I have a lot fewer tools on my bench in the middle of the shop than I had when it was against a wall. I also try to do the 10 tool rule, and that works very well for me.

I’m still not where I want to be, but I don’t have my old problem of having half my work bench covered with various tools.

-- "Man is the only animal which devours his own, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor." ~Thomas Jefferson

To be honest, at the present time mine looks worse that anyone. I decided to do a remodel and in the middle changed my mine about direction. Most have already usedthe habit word and that is the key. However for that to work you must have an assigned place for every item. If is pegboard, drawers or storage boxes does not matter. Then you must keep it organized. Stop every hour or 15 minutes and put things away. A small mess is easyto clean up.

Next research organization ideas that will work for you. Go toGoogle and type in “small tool organization” and in the pictures you will see lots of great ideas. I found a web page called WWW.hobbyzone.com that sells some great bench top organization products. Or it might inspire you to build something of your own.

It is a process that you will need to work on till it becomes a habit. Good luck.